More Truthful – More Redeemable

I told a group of writers this week that I wrote without a filter. It sounds dangerous I know— small town, gossip and such, but I don’t know how to write any other way. There is a vast difference in readers, how they see you or don’t see you behind your words. They could take them all wrong, but you can’t do any thing about it, if you want to write.

Being a writer is probably the most self-exposing career you could choose. It comes with the territory. If I was to give any advice to writers I’d say be honest, write from your heart’s passion. Be childlike and write to the audience of One— One being, God. Commit your words and yourself to Him and become vulnerable. Let Him take care of the readers.

I sent out my writing to a new critique group this week. I told them to be kind. I didn’t know how they would critique my words, with a red pen or a machete. I quit hiding behind a mask a long time ago. I’ve taken off the pretense.  The days of being something other than who I really am is over. I can’t think of being anyone else but me. It fits me. I used to apologize for being me. Wow! That was a waste of good words and time.

A writer friend said to me, “I was told you don’t want to hang out your wash in the front yard.”

Maybe I should be taking her advice, but if a person hangs out clean laundry, does it really matter? Just asking.

Another writer friend said that she saw her life so pitiful and her writings were so sad and negative she didn’t want to leave behind her words for her children to see. She made up a character she writes about and uses humor. Her writings are so funny you don’t see her life as pitiful. You see her words as real. You just wished you could write like her. If she had quit writing we would have missed her life.

My daughter said she’d have to describe my writing as about nothing. Kind of like the television program, Seinfield, which was based on the concept of nothing, a lot about nothing.

I googled some of the favorite quotes on Seinfield. Their lines are priceless. Those writers probably wrote from their own inadequacies and have faced those same situations themselves. Everyone can identify with their made-up characters because they are us. We just live in another state.

One of the finest roles for a character ever written was George in Seinfield. That role was tailor-made for him. When George said, “Like I don’t know that I’m pathetic.” Or when he took a picture of someone in a casket so he could fly free, we all laughed because it was so truthful.

I can’t think of Jason Alexander as anyone other than George Costanza. His 5’5” short frame, balding, even a little on the heavy side makes him George. No other role he’s done has fit him so perfect. A misfit, but unforgettable. There are a lot of Georges around and we all love them. They probably don’t love themselves, though. The bigger the flaws in a character the more redeemable they become to the reader and they make the best stories.

My advice to writers is this, write those made-up characters, but make them real, show their flaws. You have to become childlike yourself. Children do not know to hide themselves from the world.

When I read this quote, these words went through me like a laser beam. It cut away any pretense I had of myself. How can I be anything but real when I read something like this?

William Barclay said that when Jesus went to the cross, he said, “Into Your hands I commit My spirit.” It was a child’s prayer. It was the Jewish version of saying, “Now I lay me down to sleep.”

Final Brushstroke! When I lay myself down to sleep at night I commit myself, and what I’ve done during the day, into God’s hands. I trust Him to read my words to the readers. I am probably more like George than I want to believe.